Facial Image Display Apparatus, Facial Image Display Method, and Facial Image Display Program

1. A facial image display apparatus comprising: a memory, one or more processors configured to execute instructions stored on said memory to embody: a detector that detects areas containing faces in a target image displaying a plurality of faces, wherein the target image is a still image; wherein the detector creates, using the areas containing faces, a path across the still image connecting the detected areas containing faces; a moving image creating unit that creates a moving image in which a camera scrolls across the target image according to the path, wherein the moving image contains the areas containing faces from the target image; a time estimator that estimates the time needed to detect facial areas in one or a plurality of other target images; and wherein the facial image display apparatus outputs the moving image on a display on the basis of a plurality of target images; wherein a time duration of the moving image is determined on the basis of the detection time estimated by the detection time estimating means.

2. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a sequence of the path is determined based a number of faces displayed the detected areas, a relative size of the detected areas, and relative positions of the detected areas.

3. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the moving image creating unit selects the pattern from among specific moving image pattern options on the basis of at least one of the number of detected facial areas.

4. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detected facial areas are detected as rectangles.

5. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detected facial areas are detected as circles.

6. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detector identifies the faces contained in the detected facial areas.

7. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detector determines attribute information pertaining to attributes of the faces.

8. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the attributes include an age or an expression.

9. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the moving image zooms in on the detected facial areas.

10. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detector assigns a score to each of the detected facial areas.

11. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the score is determined based on a number of faces and a surface area of each detected facial area.

12. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the scores are used to determine the path.

13. A facial image display method executed on a computer comprising: detecting at least two feature areas, including one or more areas containing faces in a target image displaying a plurality of faces, wherein the target image is a still image; automatically creating, using the detected feature areas, a path across the still image connecting the detected feature areas; and creating a moving image in which a camera scrolls across the target image according to the path, wherein the moving image contains the detected areas containing faces from the target image, wherein, when a distance between two areas containing faces is less than a predetermined value, the two areas containing faces are considered a single feature area when the path is being determined.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a program comprising the steps of: detecting at least two feature areas, including one or more areas containing faces in a target image displaying a plurality of faces, wherein the target image is a still image; automatically creating, using the detected feature areas, a path across the still image connecting the detected feature areas; and creating a moving image in which a camera scrolls across the target image according to the path, wherein the moving image contains the detected areas containing faces from the target image, wherein, when a distance between two areas containing faces is less than a predetermined value, the two areas containing faces are considered a single feature area when the path is being determined.